The man who coached teams and was involved in the plot against Oliveira Salazar

Athlete, journalist, football coach, activist against the Salazar regime, political prisoner, author of the book “Tarrafal, o Pantano da Morte.” “The life of Candido de Oliveira consisted of six films,” guarantees Jorge Paixão da Costa, who next week will premiere his work in which he recreates the life of the man who gave his name to the football competition (also known as the Super Cup). but “today few people know this.”

The idea for the work arose after a documentary about the figure, which the author signed six years ago as part of the series “À Porta da História” by Ukbar Filmes, broadcast on RTP.

“The producer noticed my interest and offered to make a film about Candido de Oliveira,” he says. CMwho admits that the choice of period he would work on seemed “almost obvious.”

“Of course, a lot happened to a person from the moment of his birth, in Alentejo, until his death, in Stockholm, Sweden, but I chose the 40s of the last century – a decade that is very familiar to me, because I made several films about it Then came the richest period of Cándido de Oliveira’s life: at the age of 40, he was a journalist, a national team coach, a spy and still working at the post office where he had access to everything that mattered to him. boycott the regime,” he adds.

Cándido the Spy Who Came from Football will be released in theaters on May 9, and the cast is led by Tomas Alves (in the title role), Jorge Corrula (as António Ribeiro dos Reis, the friend who never lets him down) and Teresa Alves (as a Nazi spy). Satisfied with the actors’ performances, Jorge Paixau da Costa says that above all he expects “honesty” from actors. “I always look for people who embody character and are honest. It doesn’t look intrusive because it’s immediately obvious…”